Pumping apparatus



Feb. 9 1926.

J. W. TAYLOR PUMPING APPARATUS AFiled March 16, i925 2 sheets-sheet 1 ol. 8 120m 3 Feb. 9,1926. 3 1,572,333

J. W. TAYLOR PUMPING ARPARATUS Filed March 16, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 megWjij/M.

i Patented Feb. 9., 1926.y

.uns vcr.l manon, or sm 'nx'.romo, raxas.

riruma Vnrranafrua.

Brianna-mea :man raises. seria; No. 15,162.

To all 'whom it may concern: r u Be it-known that I,'JAMEs W. Tanon, acitizen of the United States, residlng at San Antonio, in the county ofBexarl andState ofTexas, have invented certain new and useiulImprovements 4in Pumping Apparatus, ofwhich the followin isaspecificatlon.

This invention re ates to an improved flowing or pumping apparatus forremoving l0 liquids from oil wells,V the object of the inv'vention,generally stated, is the provision of apparatus of this character which,when inserted within a well, will serve to force the liquid in the wellto the hsurface by means of l the expansive power of thenatural gasgenerated or 'contained within the well. l In accordance with theinvention there is provided a pumping apparatus for the purpose setforth consisting broadly ofl a well 2 casing in which is positioned thecentrally disposed flow line or tubing. This tubing carries,at aposition near the lower part of the well, a' flow hood in which thenatural gas of the well is trapped, there'being an' 35 entry between thehood and the flow line by means of which the tra p'ed expansible fluidis permitted to enter t eilow line to eect the elevation of the liquidtherein; The entr)7 is provided with an associated valve mechanism forcontrolling iluid How therethrough, and the particular feature of thepresent invention resides in the provision of automatically operatingmeans for controlling the operation of the valve mechanism,

wherein the arrangement is such that when the iuid pressure within thecasing reaches a predetermined pressure, the valve mechanisrnwill beopen to permit the expelling uid to enter the flow line and expand, and

when the gas pressure inthe casing is re duced to a predeterminedpressure, the valve 'mechanism will be operated to close the entry andto arrest further liquid flow through ,the flow `line or tubing untilthe gas pressure has been again built up to 'a point rmitting of theopening of the valve mec anism. With these and other objects in view, as

will appear as the description roceeds, the

invention consists inthe nove features of' construction, combinations ofelements and arran ments of parts hereinafter to be full descri andpointed out in the appended v claims: l v

In the accompan ing drawing: Y

Figure 1 is a si e elevation ofthe pump- 55 ing or well flowingapparatus comprising the present invention,

F1gure2 is a vertical sectional view taken through Athe apparatus at theupper end', of the well casing, and Y f 00 Figure 3 is a verticalsectional view taken throu h the well casing, the flow line tubing eassociated hood and valve mechamsm. l

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a standard form ofwell ca which is adapted to be inserted into a drill well openingr andto extend from the surface of the wel to the oil producing sands.IVithin the casing extending axially and 1on- '70 l gitudinallytherethrough 1s' a flow` line'or tubing 2 having a perforated lower end3- which rests upon the bottom plug 4 rovided ina well screen 5, thelower end of t e screen 5 resting upon the bottomv of the well., By 75this it will be seen that a standard construction is provided, althoughother forms may he used, in v'which oil will be, permitted to enter theliow line and to arise therein, as

Awell as-,in the casing, bythe natural pressure B0 or flow of the oil orliquid,- and that the height which the oil will reach in the flow lineandvthe'casing 'will vary in accordance witi the natural pressuresexisting-in each we Applied to the upperl endof the casing 1 is a casinghead 6, through which theupupelllA -c-nd of the ow line extends and in wthe flow line is suitably sealed, as will be hereinafter described, toconfine within the casing the natural gases ofthe Well for thex seofembodying these gases inthe expelllng of the liquid; 3-

The flow line 2 i v this instance includes relatively movable upper andlower .sections 7 and 8 respectively. The u er section is provided atits lower end wit a threaded coupling 9, which supports a'nozzle 10,coustructed to restrict Athe diameter of the ow lineto facilitate theliquidis expulsion. The 10 24, so that a slight excess of pressure inthe Alower end 'of the nozlzle isv threaded to-receive` the 'cap section11 ofa flow hood designated generally by the numeral 12.

The hood consists of a cylindrical casingy 13, closed at its uppeiwendandopenat-its lower end as indicatedby tlie .numeral 14.

The diameter of the casing 13 is slightly.

less than the internal diameter of thecasing 1, so that fluid arisingwithin the"ca', sing.1"

. vided 'a valve mechanism which in this inthreaded as at 23 inconnection with the cap stance'consists of a sleeve Y16, provided withan annular enlargement 17 having a recessed upper end 18 in which isseated `a soft metal washer 19,while the lower end of the enlargeinentisprovided with a rounded shoulder 19a. The ends 18 and 19n oftheenlargement 17 are adapted for engagement with arounded annular bead 2Oprovided on the lower end of the ca section 11 and with a beveled seat21 provided internally upon atube 22 section. The lower end of the tube22 has an opening provided therein for the sliding reception of thesleeve 16, and saidopening possesses a greater diameter than theexternal diameter of said sleeve at this point so as to permit of Huidpassage through the interior of said tube. The upper end of the sleeve16 is provided with a plurality of passages or entries 24, and it willbe seen that when the. enlargement 17 is positioned midway in the lengtho'f the tube22, or in other words, when the parts 18 and 19 are spacedfrom the seats 20 and 21, fluid will be perv mitted to flowfrom beneaththe' hood,

through the tube 22 and thence byway of `the passages 24 into the liquidcontained within the flow line.

It, will be understood that the fluid pressures within the flow line'and within the casing 1 or the hood 12 are substantially equalized orbalanced'adjacent the passages casing 1 or within the flow hood 12 willbe 'sufcie'nt to force or permit the expelling 't gas to enter the flowline against fthe resist- ...sance offered by the hydro-static head of e-iihe'column of liquid in the flow line.

,Since the gas is'maintained in its normal compressed state within thehood by the.I

fluid pressure above the same, it follows that when this gas enters theflow line, that the liquid pressure in the latter prevents iiniawassa Amediate expansion of the gas. In other words the gas will enter the flowline in smallbubbles which by virtue of their natural `buoyancy willarise vertically through the -liquid in the flow line and will expand soas to lbecome gradually enlarged as the bubbles yascend the flow line.This expansion, ofcourse, becomes greater when the hydro-static pressurethereon is gradually diminished by the rise thereof in the column ofliquid, since as the bubbles near the top of the flow line the'liquidpressure becomes correspondingly smaller.A The bubbles are thenpermitted to expand to their maximum point wherein they substantiallyfill the tubing and therefore serve in the capacity of pneumatic pistonsfor expelling the liquid at the top of the flow line. The bubbles followone another in very rapid succession at accelerated speed of travel andconsequentlyecan expel a large volume of liquid from the tubing.

'Since the apparatus describedrelies upon the natural gas pressure inthe well to expel the liquid, it follows that in most wells thispressure can not be generated sufficiently to provide for a continuousflowing of the well, .and therefore it is necessary to provide for anintermittent opening and closmg of the valve mechanism so that thepressure of the gas may be built up and released in heads or impulsesfor the purpose of expelling the fluid. It is a primary object of thepresent invention to automatically regulate the opening and closing ofthe valve mechanism, in contrast to manually operated structures. Sincethe lower section 8 of the tubing rests upon the bottom of the well,

I provide a 4structure by means of which l'or the upper section of theVflow line together with the hood may be raised and lowered at intervalsso as to cover and uncover the ports or passages 24.

The structure for accomplishing this object is disclosed in Figure 2 andconsists of a cylinder 25 formed with the casing head` 6. The cylinder25 includes a base section` 26 arranged to Fhold a suitable quantity of`a liquid, and the upper rim of the section 26A is shouldered as at 27for the reception of a gasket ring 28. Resting upon the Gasket 28 is theupper section 29 ofthe cylinder 25, which has its lower end flanged asat 30 and arranged in registration `with a similar flange 31 providedupon the lower section,

iio

and threaded fastening devices 32 are used for connecting the flanges 30and 31' so as to draw the upper section 29 of the cylinder firmly downupon the gasket 28 so.as to render the entire cylinder fluid tight.

Mounted within the cylinder for vertical reciprocation is an invertedcup shaped piston 33, the walls of which being in engage# ment with the4inner Wall of the gasket 28 so as to prevent undue passage of theliquid the stem 34 is api'ntured` as at 35 and the inithe'base sectioninto the upper section. The base section 26 carries-an axially disposedtuhular'stem 34 which arises in the piston 33 and serves to limit thedownward movement of 'the piston. V-The upper end of ing a` packing ring37 which is compressed vthe bearing- 40, which'in turnissupported by thepiston 33. Thethreads 42 permit theY arolmdthe flow line, and threadedwithin the gland 36 is a tube 38 which also extends upwardly through apacking gland 39 provided in the upper section 29 ofthe cylinder. Theupper endof the tube '38 projects through the gland 39 and is providedwith, a. race-way upon which is seated a thrustbearing 40, which engageswith the under surface of the hub of, an adjusting wheel 41. This Ywheelis provided with 'an internally. threaded hu'b which engages with theraised threads 42 provided kupon the-tlow Vlinea-and it will be seenthat by rotating the .wheel 41, thelow Vline may bevadjusted ,verticallyto 'govern the" extent of Vopening ofthe valve mechanism.v f Inoperation, Vthe tubing :org-flow, line Y2 is 'supported by the wheel'41' 'resting' upon adjustment of the tubing with respect to the stem 34so thatwhenthe.' piston has lifted the tubing to thedesfiredornecessary' height to Vope'fn the valve- 1'Iiie'chanisni under thehood, the metallic Vgasliet'43,l carried i by the owline,willseataagainst the seat 44 surrounding the lower endfof the stem 34which, in turn, will'shut oli?` the gas vllow into the chamber 12A andtherebyv stop further upward movement of the tubing.'

The chamber in theflower section 26 of the cylinder is i'illed with oil`or other liquid to the level shown by the dotted line 45, thus giving--a' liquid seal in 'the, cylinder, sin-ce the gasoan not escapefrom.the cylinder until it-has forced all of the oil, through the gasket 28which, however, normally obstructs and will prevent'- such seepage.'Should, however, the Vgaslfaet `become suf-v ficiently loose. the leal;will be detected byV the seepage ofthe liquidV from the cylinder byv wayof the small valve 46 situated in the bottom of the upper'section 29. Avalve 47 is employed in a pipe line 48- which, includes a verticallyextending stand pipe 49V arranged in the base 26. Normally, the pipe 49is arranged above the level 45,'and a small opening 50 is formed inthe-pipe below ,the

inormal level of the oil, so that when the valve 47 is open, theoperator may determine bythe escape of the oil or gas whether or not'the oil level 45 is at its required point .inthec'ylinder. If the oillevel is above the opening .5U oil will issue through the 4valve 47',audit the oil level is' below the opening 50 air or gas will issue.Connected wit-litho line 48 is a vertically disposed pipe line 51,arranged extcriorly of the cylinder 25, and it is through this linethatl the sup-v ply of liquid in the-cylinder may be replenished fromtime to time.

.Assuu'iing that gas' pressure exists inthe well casing, and the tubinghasbeen raised to a'point where the gasket 43 contactswith the seat 44,it is evident that the' tubing could notbe lowered unless the gaspressure were released from. the casing. Therefore, the upper chamber isprovided in the cylin- -ler as at '29,' and by the employeinent of whichmeans are provided for lowering the tub-ing irrespective of the gaspressure in the! well casing; for it will be seen that if s 'pressure beadmitted to the upper chamr, by way ofthe pipeline 51, that thepressurexin the two chambers will be equalvized,so `that the tubing'-willbe permitted to lowerbyv responding to gravity.

As soon' as pressure is released from the upper chamber, electedlby wayof the .valves 52 and 53, the' tubingwill again rise until the washero`r sket 43 `engages with its seat 44. Norplressure'` s uliicient tooperate the mi .a Apistonwi always be 'carried in the well vcas`in'g.'`However, it will be seen that the 'tubing can be raisedA and lowered bysimply rotating the hand wheel 41, and the well 'operated in this mannerif desired.

view Vofthe foregoing description, taken'in connection withltheaccompanying sheets `ofdrawing it will be seen that the presentinvention provides simple and autoniaticallyloperating means foreffecting the flowing .of an oil well by the use and application' of thenatural 'gaspressure contained in the well. As the gas. pressure buildsup under the liood and in the upper port-ion of the .casin' 1, there iisan elevation on the part of .t e-.piston soas to elect. theelevationo-the lupper-section 7 fof 'the tubing 2.v *This upwardmovement onthe 'part lof the tubing results in the opening of thevalvenechaiiism vwhich permits of the flow ofy the from under the hoodinto the tubing, so that the gas may be used, as previously described,for the expelling of 'the liquid from the well. It will be seen that'asthe gas is released from under the hood and the li uid level in thecasing recedes there will e a correspondingexpansion and decrease inpressure of the gas in the upper part, of the casing acting upon thepiston, which results in the lowering of the piston, and the flow lineto again close the valve mechanism so as to permit ofthe inn lll)

building up of the fluid pressure under the hood. `In the event,however, that the gas pressure in the upper part ot' the well casingbecomes so excessive lasfto maintain the piston in its elevated'position continuously or for relatively `extended periods, it isnecessary to use the pipe line 51 for tliepur` pose of admitting aportion of the luid or gas into the upper chamber of the cylinder, so'asto permit of the balancing of fluid pressures on the piston and therestoration ot the -low line to its lowered position wherein the valvemechanism is closed. Again, by balancing the pressures on the piston thevalve mechanism may be main-f tained in a closed position for indefiniteperiods in order to permit the gas generated cylinder surrounding saidflow line, a pis-` ton within said cylinder connected with said flowline, a valve structure in said How lnie and capable ot being opened andlow-l ered by al movement of the flow' line to establish communicationbetween the casand said floivline,and-1neans for confining gas 1n theupper endiof .said casing and permitting the applicationJ of the same toone or both sides of said piston to govern .the raising and lowering ofthe flow-line and the 'operating `structure therein.

2. Inoil well appa-ratus,acasing norinal-y ly sealed at its upper end, aflow line vertically shiftable within said casing, 'a valve t positionsof the valve structureim said flow line operated by the t-rise and fallof the flow lline to establish lcoirimunication bet'ween the casing andthe 60. l erati'ng 4positions of the valve structurel interior ofsaid-flow line, ahead providedl vupon the upper end of said-casingincluding a pressure chamber through which said flow line projects, apistonon said flow" line within said chamber, a liquid Vseal betweensaid piston and the walls of said chamber, and a valve controlledpassage leading from said casing into saidcylindcr to permit the normalgas pressure of the .Wellto build up within said casing to act upon saidpiston so asto control the op- BfIn oil well apparatus, a casing, .avHow line vertically' adpistable within said casing, a head providedlupon the upper endV fclose said lentry` whe of said casing and includinga chamber through which said flow line projects, a piston `disposedWithin said chamber and connected to said flow line, aI valve controlledport leading from said casing into the under part vof said chamber topermit gas pressurebuilt up within said casing to act upon the underside of said piston to raise said flow4 line, and means for divertingthe gas pressure from the under to the upper part of said chamber so asto balance the gas pressure on said piston.

4. In oil well pumping apparatus, a casing, a flow line verticallyadjustable within said casing, a valve structure in said flow lineopened and closed by .vertical movement on the part of said tlow'^linewith respect to said casing, a head at the upper end of said casinghaving a chamber formed therein, a piston arranged for movement withinsaid chamber and connected with said flow line, an entry establishingcommunication between the interior of said casing and said chamber topermit gas pres- ,sure built up within said casing to exercise its forceupon said piston to control the raising and lowering of said flow line,and means carried by said flow-linejfor closing said entry and arrestinggas flow into Said lchamber when the operative pressure of the gaswithin the chamber reaches a predetermined point. v

Inoil well pumping apparatus, a casing, a flow line verticallysh'ifta'ble within said casing, a flow valve in said 'low line openedand closed by the Vertical shifting ci said |`flow line, a cylinder, apiston in said cylinder connected with said flow cylinder permitting otthe .flow Vof gas from said casingv into said cylinder and intoengagen-ient with thetpiston provided there-- in to control' theoperating ,positions of saidjiston and said flow line,' 'a closurevprojvide uponsaid "flow" line f andarran`ged` 'to the flow line has beenelevated toaipr termined.extent, and

means for halancingftlie lluidV pressure on said piston Vto permitIoflthe 'lowering of.

said flow line irrespective of the fluid pres-v sures Within saidcylinder.

. In oil well pumpingapparatus, a cas-y ing, aow line vertically(shiftable within 'the casinma stationarv head at the upper yendiof saidcasing having a chamber formed therein, an'upstandi'ng entry extendinginto s iid chamber and terminating in spaced re-.,

lation vfrom the/bottom ot said chamber, a piston Within said clianibeconnected with said flow line,w said enti-y permitting of the Howo'tf'gas from said casing into said chain 'lier :for engagement withthe-under side of said piston, and a valved by-pa'ss connecf ing, theflow line vertically shiftable within said casing, a stationary headsurrounding' said flow line above said casing, said head 'being providedwith a piston chamber, a

piston mounted within said chamber and connected with said flow line, aliquid seal between said piston and the walls of said chamber, means foradmitting gas from said casing into said chamber between the spaceprovided between the under side of said piston and the surface of theliquid within said chamber, and a Valved by-pass connection leading fromsaid space to the top of said chamber and capable of balancing appliedgas pressures upon said piston.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES w. TAYLOR..

